Heartstrings
by echobaby
Summary: I suck at summaries, so you're just going to have to read this one. I own nothing, Nim owns nothing.


**A/N: Alright, I just want to give credit to my friend Nim for writing this. I don't know why, but the site wouldn't let me post a note on here earlier, and she saw it and thought I was taking credit for her work. I'm not!!! SORRY! So anyways, I didn't write this, Nim did, and she just asked me to post it for her because she doesn't have an account. She will be the one responding to all reviews. Thanks!**

Love binds the strings of our hearts,

The very lives of siblings are inseparably entwined together

Orphaned at an early age, thrown together as closest companions—

Tried by the guardianship of a good man, but one who was overcome by a web of lies

Despair sickened our uncle and sorrow struck at his heart—

Neglected, alone except for each other, we were rejected by the king,

Who preferred a lying tongue over our love and devotion,

Who was deceived beyond the point of reason, ignoring one, banishing the other,

Denying love to his own beloved son,

Neglecting even the ones he formerly held most dear—

In vain we tried to communicate, to make our uncle understand the evil into which he had fallen

To no avail—

Then, wounded in battle, the king's son lay dying,

But was treated with apathy and ignored

Until, with tears and sorrow, the king was informed that his son was gone,

Passed into the next world without his father's proper love—

Lies were whispered into the ears of our uncle,

But they hit the king at his very soul, poisoning his life—

Until, oh blessed day!

Arrived was a company of strangers,

But one was known to our uncle, Gandalf the Grey,

Good wizard and friend

With him came Aragorn, a Ranger at the time, but heir to the throne of Gondor,

Legolas, a noble Elf, and Gimli, a faithful Dwarf,

Come to call upon the king's assistance in the fight for good

Against evil—against Mordor—in Middle-Earth—

But Gandalf was not recognized or welcomed

Until he pulled out his staff and threw off his grey robe—behold!

Gandalf the Grey was no more, but transformed was he into Gandalf the White,

More powerful than ever before

He commanded Theoden to awake from his stupor, driving out the evil intentions of Saruman,

Bringing our uncle back to us—

Bitter sweet was the reunion—son dead, nephew banished,

And the country being attacked and on the brink of war—

Oh, to fight—to fight for our people!

The satisfaction of displaying the devotion to country and love of freedom

Of combating, doing a part in the battle of good and evil!

But women were not to fight, though the brother

Would risk all for his country to come to the aid

Of the uncle who had previously rejected him, and had repented of that sin—

But the chance to show support and determination would not hold off forever,

For women too can be strong!

Forbidden to fight in the battle which fight decide the fate of the world,

I, Eowyn, disguised as a man, made a stand for my country

And I, Eomer, doing all I could to ensure the protection of my beloved sister,

Thought I left her safely behind—

As we marched to battle, together still though perhaps not aware of it,

There came a realization that this day may very well be our last,

That even if it was not, there would be countless friends

That would disappear from our lives forever,

Enveloped in a blanket of darkness,

Separated by death from all they sacrificed for,

From all they fought so bravely to save—

And so, in heat of battle, fueled by the thought of all that is good,

And fighting it with all the passion that strengthened us against a bitter foe,

We attempted to destroy the forces of evil—

I, Eowyn, came upon the Witch King of Angmar, the leader of the Nine,

King of the Nazgul, the living dead

Enraged after it dealt a blow to my uncle, Theoden King,

I sought to kill the evil monster, be it the last thing I did

And it very well might have been—

The Witch-King, laughing at my attempts, sneered and screeched,

Fool! Do you not know that no man can kill me?

Throwing off my helmet, I revealed myself—

_I am no man! _

But let that not deter him, for at times when most believe

A woman's strength would fail,

I found a new vigor and determination to battle this evil,

And to defeat it—

Striking the leader of the Nazgul in the place where,

Had he been man, his face would have been,

I cried in agony—such pain!

Never before felt and never after—

The pain of a cruel life being destroyed by my single hand

The pain of my blade piercing the very heart of this evil,

Feeling it flow through me, attempt to overtake me,

Steal my strength and my very life from me,

As it was withered and destroyed—

Then, suddenly, I felt his life—if it be anything close to that—

Vanquished, extinguished, gone and with none to mourn,

For not all deaths are tragedies—

I turned to my quickly fading uncle, for they are few that survive a wound dealt by such a foe

I saw my beloved uncle and king say his last words, then perish in my arms

Weakness and pain overtook me, and I knew no more—

I, Eomer, fighting with all the strength within me,

Saw countless foes defeated beneath my blade,

Beneath the hooves of my horse and the steel of my weapon

But countless more I saw fall—

Friends, companions, and fellow men,

Fighting for their people, for the preservation of all that is good

And of all they hold dear on this earth—

And as I watched the slaughter, I wondered,

When would it be my turn to fall in battle?

To join the numerous ranks of sacrificed lives?

We fought until strength failed, and after that still more,

For the enemy was many, advancing continuously on our dwindling army

Until—finally—the battle was ended, the enemy retreated, if only temporarily—

Men searched the field of battle,

Mourning over their fallen companions,

Finding those friends with whom they had ridden into battle

Lying in a cold early death—

I scanned the field, and a fair face caught by eye,

Too fair for a man, and with flowing blond hair

This face I recognized! But no! _No!_

My sister was left behind! I ensured her safety away from the army—

Screaming, I rushed to the side of this soldier,

And, turning her over that I may see her face, felt my heart freeze—

There lay Eowyn, wounded and unconscious

No! May eternal disaster follow the one who would dare touch my sister!

As I took her in my arms,

I cried in terror for a life I loved more than my own,

For fear of losing the one I loved most—

The battle had ended

But the war was not yet over—

Brother attentively watched over sister,

Nursing her to health with tender and devoted love,

Concerned and watchful, ready to jump at every need

As I, Eowyn, regained my strength,

I found restoration in the Houses of Healing—

And I, Eomer, still committed to the fight for Middle-Earth,

Though reluctant to leave my mending sister behind,

Departed to fight a final decisive battle

At the Black Gates of Mordor themselves—

Though at that time we went separate ways,

Our hearts could not be parted,

For they were, and are, connected with an unbreakable bond,

A bond so strong that should one have died,

Half of the other would have died as well—

But it is not often that evil triumphs over good,

Or destruction over ties of love

For when the battle was ended and Mordor defeated,

We, brother and sister, closest friends, were reunited—

As we rejoiced in the victory of Middle-Earth,

There came a realization that, however strong an army might be in a war won,

We had something much stronger—

The bonds of a sibling's affection, and the never-ending love

That binds the hearts of all who strive for good

For though evil should tear at the world, yet with these ties,

Restoration will come to the land that is broken,

And in the end of days all hearts will be healed—


End file.
